Crisis Hotline Phone Counselor (Part-Time)

About the role

Santé Group Companies is seeking Part-Time Phone Counselors to join our crisis intervention team in Timonium, MD. The role involves working evenings, overnight, and weekends in person at our office.

Responsibilities

• Provide appropriate services for both the local hotline and the GBRICS call center.
• Supportive counseling, information and referrals, crisis intervention counseling, suicide prevention and intake screening of callers.
• Document all information in appropriate client case.
• Effectively deescalate a client in crisis, over the phone.
• Develop a rapport with client and maintain objectivity and demeanor on the phone.
• Effectively triage a call to the appropriate level of care.
• Conduct a lethality assessment of client and dispatch appropriate resources (police, EMT, MCT, MRT) when necessary.
• Complete an environmental risk and safety assessment and relay all information to MCT/MRT/patrol when necessary.
• Access bed registry and other resources to connect callers to services.
• Comply with the GBRICS Crisis Standards, Lifeline Standards, Crisis Now Standards, and appropriate accrediting bodies best practices.
• Participate in regular peer support sessions if self-identified as a peer.
• Comply with the organization’s Secondary Trauma Prevention policy.
• Develop appropriate and realistic crisis plans for clients when necessary.
• Develop appropriate follow-up tasks depending on nature and severity of symptoms.
• Able to effectively communicate client needs while making internal agency referrals.
• Able to complete documentation in an accurate, thorough, and timely manner.
• Ensure all tasks related to each case are completed during each shift worked.
• Recognize the need for consultation with available supervisor and/or team lead.
• Work with families and involved persons to deescalate current crises.
• Abide by all federal, state, and local confidentiality and reporting regulations.
• Comply with all of programs’ contractual and operational guidelines as outlined by your manager.
• Check work email according to agency protocol.
• Responsible for coverage on assigned Sante holiday shifts (Shifts may be of varied length to meet coverage needs).

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Counseling, Social Work, or a related field of study.
• 1 year professional crisis work experience may be substituted for the education requirement.

Qualifications

• Experience in a highly stressful environment dealing with frequent suicidal callers.
• Ability to assess each caller’s presenting problem, support systems, coping skills, and level of emergency to determine appropriate intervention.
• Knowledge and familiarity with community resources, both behavioral health and non-behavioral health.
• Able to effectively communicate client needs while making internal agency referrals.
• Able to complete documentation in an accurate, thorough, and timely manner.

Skills

• Effective communication skills.
• Crisis intervention skills.
• Documentation skills.
• Emergency response skills.
• Peer support skills.

Benefits

• Generous sick leave.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Annual wellness initiatives and access to the Calm App.
• Recognition & Rewards.
• Training & Growth.
• Culture of Purpose.

Pay

Salary Range: $24.00 to $26.50 per hour based on experience.

Schedule

• Evening Shift: 4:00pm to 12:00am
• Overnight Shift: 12:00am to 8:00am
• Weekend Shifts: 8:00am to 4:00pm, 10:00am to 6:00pm, 4:00pm to 12:00am, or 12:00am to 8:00am